WHITE ROCK, BC.
The Whalers continued their round two playoff matchup against the Cloverdale Hockey Club with game three at home and game four on the road in Cloverdale. Game three was a game that looked to be easily going Cloverdale's way, but the Whalers battled to make it close before losing 8-7. The Whalers responded with a very strong performance in game four on the road, defeating Cloverdale 7-2. Now leading the series 3-1, the Whalers had a chance to advance to the Harold Brittain Conference Finals, the Stonehouse Cup Finals, with a win in game five at Centennial Arena.
Cloverdale Hockey at White Rock Whalers, Mar. 11
With teams continuing to alternate home games, the Whalers prepared to host game five at Centennial Arena with a chance win the series now up 3-1. Game five was another thriller that could have gone either way, but it the Whalers who clinched their spot in the finals with an overtime win.
The 1st period was scoreless, with Cloverdale outshooting the Whalers 15-9. The Whalers took three penalties, while Cloverdale took two penalties. The special teams for both White Rock and Cloverdale have looked pretty good in this series so far, but they couldn't capitalize on these opportunities.
Sean Robins opened the scoring for White Rock almost five minutes into the second period, his 10th goal of the playoffs. After a powerplay goal from Cloverdale on the 2nd period's only penalty, Jacob Roche re-gained the Whalers lead late in the 2nd. Max Lyons scored his 2nd of the game for Cloverdale just twenty seconds later, sending this game tied at two going into the 3rd.
The 3rd period was very evenly matched, and that was reflected on the scoresheet as well. Carter Nailen, who was this series leader for points, gave Cloverdale a 3-2 lead with about 13 minutes left. The Whalers got the only powerplay of the 3rd with around 6 minutes left, but couldn't score on this key advantage. With not much time left, just before the Whalers were going to pull their goalie, Devon Atwal tied the game at three with just over two minutes left.
For the second time this series overtime was needed, and for the second time the Whalers got the winner in front of their fans. Adam Lendarduzzi scored his 3rd goal of the playoffs four minutes into overtime after he tapped the puck into the net after a deflected shot on goal went off the back boards.
Game five was the third game in this series that could've gone either way, but the Whalers found a way to secure the series victory on Wednesday night. Final shots on goal were 34-33 for White Rock, as Whalers goalie Joshua Dubreuil made 30 saves for the win. The Cloverdale Hockey Club fought very hard this series and gave the Whalers a very challenging matchup despite it only going five games. The Whalers know that the rivalry with Cloverdale will only grow in the years coming up following an overall very successful first season in the league for Cloverdale.
Up Next for the Pod
The Whalers had some time off as they awaited the winner of the other semi-finals matchup between the Surrey Knights and the Mission City Outlaws. This series went the distance, with five one goal games in a very tightly contested matchup. The Knights had a 3-1 series lead, but the Outlaws won in double overtime in game 5, by one late goal in game 6 and again in double overtime in game 7 to complete the comeback.
The matchup is now set for the Harold Brittain Conference Final, this year's Stonehouse Cup Finals. The Whalers and Outlaws have been evenly matched in the regular season, so this promises to be an exciting conclusion to the season.
Game one will be played in Mission on Tuesday night (Mar. 17), followed by game two on March 18th at South Surrey Arena. Please note that all of the Whalers' home games will be at South Surrey Arena for this series, and make sure to refer to the schedule on the PJHL website for full details.
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